After an eventful first week at school, it was finally the weekend. Well, it was actually Sunday today, so it was back to school again tomorrow.

Schroeder had been busy for most of the day on Saturday. He had taken up any opportunities that had been presented to him for extra credit, as well as spending a lot more time on his homework than was usual for himself, though the purpose behind this was more to make sure he did everything just right. It all was a big part of his get-into-Juilliard mission.

As the present moment, he had finally found some time to practice on his new piano. He was savoring the moment too, so much that it took several rings of the telephone for him to hear that there was an incoming call.

Once he had become aware of the phone ringing, he, slightly annoyed, made his way over it. I'll bet it's just Lucy about to tell me something about "if we were married" like she always does.

He then picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Schroeder? Hi. This is Charlie Brown," Charlie Brown greeted from the other end.

"Oh. Hello, Charlie Brown," Schroeder greeted. "What's up?"

"Are you busy today?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Not particularly. Just finally managed to find some time to play my piano," Schroeder said.

Charlie Brown frowned slightly as he began to feel a weensy bit disappointed as he remembered that Schroeder hadn't had much time lately to play his new piano due to his newfound study habits.

"Oh. Because I was going to ask if you wanted to check out the new restaurant that had just been opened," he said. "But I know that you haven't been able to get much time to play your new piano lately, so if you don't wanna come I understand."

"No, no! I can come hang for a little bit," Schroeder quickly said. "Is it just us or will anyone else be tagging along?"

"Oh, no. Sally and Linus are coming too," Charlie Brown informed him. Schroeder then noticed that Charlie Brown suddenly began to sound a bit nervous. "A-and... I was thinking of maybe inviting Heather along too. But I doubt she'd be interested. Heck, I'd bet..."

Schroeder interrupted here.

"From what I've heard, this restaurant has a very wide range of foods, from burgers to healthy stuff, to... basically anything. I'm sure she'd find something she'd like. And obviously you won't know unless you ask her," he reasoned. "Besides, it's not like you're asking her out on a date. Just to hang out with friends like we do in school. Don't worry, Charlie Brown."

"You're right. I'll do it. I'll ask Heather to tag along with us," Charlie Brown declared with confidence. "Thanks, Schroeder. We'll see you there at one?"

"That works for me. See you," Schroeder said before he hung up.

Elsewhere in town, at the same time Charlie Brown and Schroeder were on the phone, Heather was relaxing at home after a busy morning at her church. She was partaking in her favorite activity: elegant and graceful dancing. After a few minutes though, a thought came to her mind.

You know, I wonder what that new restaurant that just opened is like, she thought. I heard Charlie Brown and friends talking about it and even Mary I think mentioned it once or twice. I wonder if they'd all be interested in checking it out...

Heather was starting to get hungry anyway, and she didn't have anything else going on today, so she decided that she was up for a gathering of friends at this restaurant for lunch.

With her plan set, she walked over to the phone and proceeded first to dial Charlie Brown's number.

Charlie Brown stood still, staring at the telephone as he tried to work up the confidence to ask Heather if she wanted to join the group at the new restaurant. He slowly moved his finger towards the dialer, slowly but surely...

...but then he pulled away.

"Come on, Charlie Brown. You know that she isn't going to want to do this," he muttered to himself matter-of-factly.

But he then remembered what Schroeder had told him. He obviously wouldn't know for sure unless he called her and asked. Also, it was worth noting that he wasn't acting her out on a date.

But he then thought: Imagine though if I were asking her out on a date.

He then spent the next couple of minutes imagining himself and his crush being at a fancy diner. Just him and Heather Wold. They would enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner together. Then after that, they would perhaps witness a romantic comedy at the movies. And then after that, they would go out together hand-in-hand as Charlie Brown proceeded to walk her home. And when they finally got to Heather's house, she would thank him for such a wonderful night together. Lastly, to finish the night off, before she would go inside, she'd lean in towards him, and then... and then...

"Big Brother! Did you ask my Sweet Babboo yet if he's coming to the new restaurant with us?" Sally suddenly called out from the living room.

Charlie Brown was forcefully snapped out of his thoughts. He turned towards his little sister, who was sitting in the family beanbag chair watching television.

"Yes, I did," he answered. "And he's said before time and time again that he's not your Sweet Babboo."

"Oh, what does he know?" Sally said dismissively. "Anyway, make sure you've come back to Earth by the time we leave."

Charlie Brown rolled his eyes, and then quickly shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts before looking at the telephone again. He finally concluded that Schroeder was right. He and Heather were at least friends as of now, and friends sometimes did hang out together, right?

Finally, feeling resolute, he proceeded to pick up the phone and dial her number.

But just as his hand was a mere inch from the phone, it started ringing. Charlie Brown jumped, startled. After a second to regain his composure, he answered the phone.

"Hello?" he greeted.

"Hello. Charlie Brown, is that you?"

Charlie Brown froze. That was Heather speaking. Heather was actually calling him right now! But why? What could Heather possibly be calling him for?

Charlie Brown began to fidget a little bit. "Yes, this is him. Hello, Heather."

"So, I was actually wondering what you were up to today," Heather said.

"Uh... nothing much." Charlie Brown gulped. Where was this going? Where was this going? "I was, uh, planning on checking out this new restaurant with some friends in a little bit."

"Oh," Heather said in surprise. "That's actually what I was going to talk to you about."

Charlie Brown was sure that he had just heard incorrectly. Surely Heather wasn't actually about to ask him if he was interested in checking out the restaurant with her.

But he was in for quite the shocker.

"I'm going to check out the place today, I think with Mary, and I know you've talked about the place with Linus and Schroeder," Heather said. "So, I was wondering if maybe if you weren't too busy..."

"Yes! I'd love to check out the place with you and Mary!" Charlie Brown suddenly exclaimed in excitement. But he then realized what he did and grew nervous again. "Um... if that's what you were about to ask. Sorry, I can't believe I just interrupted you like that. I'm such a blockhead!"

Heather giggled. "No you're not," she retorted playfully. "Anyway, yes, I was about to ask if you'd be up for a group gathering at the new restaurant."

Charlie Brown was on the edge of his seat!

"Well, I actually was just on the phone with Schroeder and Linus about it. We're going to be meeting there at one. My sister, Sally, is coming along too," Charlie Brown told Heather.

"Great! Then Mary and I will meet you guys there," Heather said. "We'll see you then."

The phone call then ended. A huge grin was now on Charlie Brown's face. Sure, this wasn't technically a date, but he was quite thrilled right now nonetheless. He couldn't wait now for one o'clock!

"Welp, this is the place," Linus announced to everyone.

It was now a little after one in the afternoon and everyone in the crew had now arrived outside the new restaurant. They all looked up at the big "Grand Opening" sign. It read "Welcome to Nelson's Nourishments, where there's a special treat waiting for any and all tastes!"

"Well, everyone, let's go in," Schroeder said.

The group, consisting of Charlie Brown, Linus, Schroeder, Sally, Heather, and Mary, all entered the building.

The first thing the group noticed once inside was that if it hadn't been for the big sign outside, one might never have guessed that the place had just recently opened for business. The diner was very busy and those who were here for the most part appeared as though they were quite pleased with the food and the service.

After about a minute, a well-dressed brown-haired man with a mustache, presumably the host, arrived and greeted the newcomers.

"Good afternoon and welcome to Nelson's Nourishments," he greeted professionally.

"Good afternoon, sir," Heather said, giving him a light curtsy. "A table for six please."

"Absolutely, miss," the man responded, impressed and pleased by this young lass' mannerisms. "Right this way."

The host led the group to a large nice-looking table, its window giving them a nice view of the streets and shops outside. Everyone in the group then took their seats. At one side of the table were Charlie Brown, Linus, and Sally, and on the other side were Schroeder, Heather, and Mary.

"Our waitress, Busy, will be with you in a moment," the host said with a light bow before walking back to his post.

"This is a really nice-looking place," Mary said, impressed.

On Linus' side, the boy had his attention firmly on outside the window as he tried to ignore the advances of Sally, who to his misfortune was sitting right next to him.

After a couple of moments, when everyone had time to browse their menus, the waitress arrived: a very friendly and energetic young blonde woman.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Busy, and I'll be your waitress today," she greeted cheerfully as she readied her notepad. "What will you all be having today?"

The gang members all placed their orders, and after that, the waitress began making her way towards the kitchen. It would be a little while before all the food was ready, so some general conversation began to ensue amongst the group.

"So, Schroeder, I hear that you've already submitted a new club application. Is that true?" Linus asked Schroeder.

Schroeder nodded. "Yep. Let's just hope that with the tweaks I made that it will get approved this time. I also this time allowed the club manager to say why she hadn't approved it the first time."

"And was it true that your club didn't get approved because it lacked enough substance?" Mary asked.

Schroeder nodded again. "That is correct. But, thanks to you and Heather's advice, I'm pretty confident I'll get my club approved this time."

"What did you change?" Linus asked.

"Instead of it being the Beethoven Appreciation club, I will be hosting the 'Classical Composer Application club'," Schroeder explained. "Pretty much all that means is that the club will work as originally planned, but with many different composers as discussion topics rather than just Beethoven."

Linus nodded in understanding. He knew Schroeder would've preferred to focus exclusively on Beethoven (he was still Schroeder's musical idol after all), but even he seemed to understand and accept that this was a whole lot better than nothing at all.

Meanwhile, as others in the group were chatting, Charlie Brown had his eyes on the entrance to the restaurant. A small group consisting of three of his classmates that he recognized (two of which he would've rather not seen) had entered and were now being led to their table. They were Violet, Patty, and to Charlie Brown's surprise, Pig-Pen. Though just seconds later, Charlie Brown remembered that Patty had a thing for Pig-Pen, thus explaining why he was with them..

Heather had seemed to notice the newcomers too as she tried her best to not appear fazed by Pig Pen coming into the restaurant, being as grubby-looking as he always did. However, her small frown and the wrinkling of her nose gave away how she really felt right now.

A short while later, the group's waitress returned with everyone's food. She handed the plates out to everybody one-by-one, with the last plate being given to Charlie Brown.

"I hope you enjoy! Don't be afraid to reach out to me if you need anything else," she said enthusiastically before disappearing off to serve her next customers.

And so everyone began to eat. Sadly, for Charlie Brown, the burger he had ordered was not cooked medium, but was black as a hockey puck. And the burn smell must've been evident because Heather seemed to have noticed it as well. She looked at him.

"Wow. They really, uh... went a little overboard on cooking that burger, didn't they Charlie Brown?" she said to him with an apologetic expression on her face.

"It would seem so," Charlie Brown said with a sigh. Regardless, he was about to begin eating it.

"Wait, you're actually going to eat it?" Mary said, slightly baffled.

"Uh, well..." Charlie Brown uttered out.

"It's perfectly okay to ask for this to be fixed. It wouldn't be rude or anything," Heather said, backing Mary up. "In fact..."

Meanwhile, from another table, Violet and Patty were watching Charlie Brown as he interacted with his group.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Patty?" Violet asked her sidekick.

"Yeah. Charlie Brown is actually hanging out with a group of friends. And Heather, the girl he always fawns over is with them to boot!" Patty acknowledged. "Inconceivable!"

"You're telling me! Why would anyone, especially someone like Heather, want to hang out with little failure face?" Violet asked in disbelief.

By this moment, Heather had reached out to their group's waitress and proceeded to ask for Charlie Brown to be given a new burger.

"Whoa, now look what's going on!" Patty said, the surprise evident on her face. "Now she's getting the waitress to fix the meal Charlie Brown had ordered."

"Well, can you believe it," Violet said, appearing as though she was actually not happy to see Charlie Brown being treated so well.

"Uh... I don't mean to interrupt your little gossip, but don't you think we should be happy for Charlie Brown? I think it's good that Charlie Brown actually seems to have people with him who care about him," Pig-Pen tried to say.

His words fell on deaf ears though as Violet and Patty continued to monitor Charlie Brown's posse.

The waitress acted professionally and was glad to rectify the mistake regarding Charlie Brown's lunch. After she took the offending burger and walked away, Heather looked at Charlie Brown and smiled at him.

"T-Thank you, Heather," Charlie Brown said, feeling both awkward and a bit flattered. "That was very nice of you."

"You're welcome," Heather said.

So now while everyone else was eating, and Charlie Brown was waiting for a replacement burger, the yellow shirt-clad boy turned to Linus, having become curious about something.

"So, Linus, I heard the news..." he said, getting his bestie's attention.

"About what?" Linus asked after taking a sip of his drink.

"About what happened with your sister," Charlie Brown said.

Linus suddenly went silent. Heather and Mary both turned to Linus, appearing a little bit concerned. Even Schroeder glanced up at Linus over his chicken sandwich.

"Is everything going okay for you?" Mary asked Linus. "If it's okay of me to ask that is."

Heather was tempted to ask "What about his sister?", but obviously was too polite to potentially butt in where it may not be appropriate.

"No, everything is fine," Linus finally told everyone. "Well, sort of."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay with us. It's your business," Heather assured him. "But we are here if you need to get something off your chest."

Linus shook his head. "No, it's okay. Like her or not, I would consider her a member of our little 'gang'."

Heather was a bit surprised by this statement. She didn't know Lucy all that well, having only hung out with her a couple of times during lunch in elementary school. And in the case of their last encounter, the atmosphere wasn't all that pleasant. She had been uncharacteristically harsh towards her, chastising her for the events she had caused on the first day of school. Apparently though, based on this statement from Linus, Lucy had been involved with everyone Heather was currently with a lot more often than she had realized.

"So in short, as some of you already know, Lucy got sent to the principal's office for slamming a student against his locker and punching him in the face," Linus began.

This truth earned shocked gasps from both Heather and Mary.

"Yeah. Anyway, she got sent there, and the result was that she's now being asked to see Dr. Bliss on a weekly basis. You know, that school psychologist we met on the first day of school?" Linus continued.

Heather and Mary nodded.

"When Lucy came home that day, I knew right off the bat that she was going to be extremely stubborn about the idea of actually going to see this person. You know how much pride Lucy has, and that she herself is still running a "psychology booth", real emphasis on the quotes." Linus then sighed and was silent for a moment before finishing. "But the truth is... I really want to be able to convince her to go through with this. I think she may need it. I'm still her brother and I love and care about her. I can't say much, but with the way she's sometimes been lately, truthfully, I have become very worried about her."

"Good grief, that's rough," Mary said sympathetically.

Heather nodded in agreement. Her most recent interaction with Lucy had left a bitter taste in her mouth in regards to her impression of her, but with this background information coming from Linus, she had to agree that this was rather hard to hear. Even if she didn't like Lucy as much anymore, she hoped that she would be okay, whatever was wrong with her.

"I wish I knew how I could get through to my sister so that she will go to see Dr. Bliss," Linus finished.

A wave of silence washed over the group as everyone processed everything Linus had said. Heather and Mary really wanted to offer Linus some much needed advice, but even they had nothing really they could give.

Linus then suddenly felt a bit guilty as he stared down at his plate. "I'm sorry if I now have just soured the mood of the day for everyone by bringing up my at-home drama."

He then looked down at his side to see that Sally was now leaning on him and looking up at him sympathetically. Normally, he'd have gotten annoyed and flustered by this, but he felt this time though that maybe this was just Sally's way of trying to console him. As such, he decided to just ignore it this one time.

"No, no, it's okay," Heather assured him. "It sounded to me like you really needed to let that out."

Linus smiled appreciatively at Heather. This was the girl with the red hair whom Charlie Brown had crushed on since he had first laid eyes on her. But now that both Linus and Charlie Brown were really coming to know the girl, Linus knew now why Charlie Brown as of now seemed to show absolutely no sign of no longer being attracted to her.

The rest of their restaurant gathering together went by smoothly and everyone had a good time eating and chatting (of course, no more serious topics came up after the discussion about Lucy). Charlie Brown got his replacement burger, which was cooked perfectly this time. He was even given a three-dollar discount on his next meal as the restaurant owner's apology for the inconvenience.

After lunch was over, everyone exited the building with Sally and Linus following them from behind.

"Linus, since it's still early in the afternoon, how about you take me to a movie?" Sally suggested, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"What?" Linus said in disbelief. "Why would I take you to a movie?"

"I've told you many times before, silly." Though Sally seemed to have nothing against explaining it all to him again. "Boys call up girls and ask if they would like to go to the movies. And then the girls say, 'Yes, I'd like that very much'," she explained with a bright smile.

"Oh, good grief!" Linus exclaimed, burying his face in his hands. Not again! Oh, how he wished he had his blanket right now to hide under!

Everyone else in the group watched Linus and Sally interact, either amused or facepalming depending on who it was. Sally was just never going to get the hint, was she?

Author's note: And that marks the end of this chapter! Now, the next chapter may take a decent amount of time to post as it's going to be a very challenging chapter to write. It's almost entirely Lucy-centric and it deals with her about to start seeing Dr. Bliss. It'll be hard writing out a scene where Linus successfully persuades Lucy to go and see this person. Thank you for your patience and I will see you all again in due time with the next chapter! A very special thanks to those who have been reviewing or favoriting or following.